Korean cafes welcome students and workers as cagong trend invigorates industry
Published: 23 Jan. 2025, 07:00
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- LEE JIAN
- [email protected]
![A person works on her laptop at Classico, a coffeehouse in Bundang, Gyeonggi [LEE JIAN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/23/eed929ab-ed77-4435-808a-ae77f18a1040.jpg)
A person works on her laptop at Classico, a coffeehouse in Bundang, Gyeonggi [LEE JIAN]
Nestled in Gyeonggi’s residential Bundang District, the independent coffeehouse Classico is a small yet time-honored establishment in the local community.
In October, the cafe's decade-old interior underwent a rare renovation to better serve its patrons. Now, instead of five four-person desks, it has four desks and three smaller tables, each equipped with a power outlet.
“Cafe trends are evolving,” said its 32-year-old owner, Lee Jin-young. “We have regulars who come alone and read, work or study here. We wanted to create a space where they could do so comfortably.”
The update has paid off. “Between September and November, we’ve upped our profits by about 30 percent,” he said.
![People study at a Starbucks in Pangyo, Gyeonggi [LEE JIAN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/23/22d2aac9-9b71-4f8a-9fe1-2f57c4fc3006.jpg)
People study at a Starbucks in Pangyo, Gyeonggi [LEE JIAN]
This growing demographic of solo cafe-goers — largely students, freelancers and remote workers — has become an increasingly prominent part of Korea’s flourishing cafe culture. They spend hours at a cafe, either studying or working — an act with its own local neologism: cagong. It combines the first syllables of “cafe” and “gongbu,” which means study in Korean.
Over the past decade or so, these customers were largely unwanted guests, notoriously hogging seats for hours and plateauing sales.
That idea is no longer mainstream today.
In a hypercompetitive cafe market, a growing number of local coffeehouses are going from hating to loving cagong. The shift in attitude has even given way to a new and popular genre of cafes that specifically cater to customers who spend extended hours working or studying in these spaces.
“Cagong is not a fleeting trend but an evolving cultural phenomenon that is a critical segment of Korea’s growing coffeehouse industry,” consumer science professor Lee Young-ae of Incheon National University said. “It is an act that embodies a sense of freedom and independence, as well as community.”
Leading the charge: Starbucks Korea
![People study or work at a Starbucks in Pangyo, Gyeonggi. [LEE JIAN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/23/ffcaf5c9-6fc2-43fc-a2e0-b8cf8be68565.jpg)
People study or work at a Starbucks in Pangyo, Gyeonggi. [LEE JIAN]
At the root of this lifestyle is Starbucks Korea, which is now known as a haven for cagong users.
With the local conglomerate Emart as its majority stakeholder, Starbucks Korea has been able to actively tailor its spaces to meet local demand. By 2018, it was paying more attention to the untapped demand for cagong.
It maintained an open and free atmosphere, unlike many other cafes at the time, which cut off their internet and blocked power outlets around the cafe. Others swapped their furniture with less comfortable options to discourage long stays and imposed time limits on how long customers could remain. Some even implemented a “No 20s” zone, prohibiting college students from using the space to study.
Starbucks Korea continues to be at the forefront of accommodating cagong users. In 2021, it implemented private seats with desk dividers, like those in a classroom. The seats “accommodate different customer needs, particularly for solo customers who prefer privacy,” said its spokeswoman.
![A seat for cagong users at a Starbucks in Pangyo, Gyeonggi [LEE JIAN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/23/e779124b-22a9-45d2-aacc-a5393ccee921.jpg)
A seat for cagong users at a Starbucks in Pangyo, Gyeonggi [LEE JIAN]
No major Korean coffee brands today officially limit the hours of stay or prohibit laptop use.
Smaller, independently run cafes are embracing the cagong trend as well.
Viva Bossa is a newly opened cafe specifically catered to cagong users in the low-key Yeonhui-dong neighborhood in Seodaemun District, western Seoul.
The space more closely resembles a stylish office space than a cafe. Located on the second floor, it is filled with large desks, all with outlets installed and cushioned chairs. Large horizontal windows bring in plenty of natural light amid the classical music softly playing in the background.
![Cafe Viva Bossa in Mapo District, western Seoul [VIVA BOSSA]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/23/606243ba-f80a-41bd-ae2d-98f2b5efd5bb.jpg)
Cafe Viva Bossa in Mapo District, western Seoul [VIVA BOSSA]
Its 33-year-old owner Kang Han-seong said he spotted a gap in the market, pointing to the untapped demand among cagong users who felt their choice was limited to major chains like Starbucks.
“I think there is a significant portion of potential customers, like students, freelancers or those who work from home, who are not bound to a desk or an office, and I expect that population to increase in the future.”
Cagong’s competitive edge
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Korea ranks as the second-highest nation when it comes to coffee consumption, averaging 405 cups per person annually in 2023 — double the global average — according to the market research firm Euromonitor last year.
The high demand is accordingly fueling a booming cafe market, which is growing exponentially. The number of coffee shops in Korea was 100,729 in 2022, twice the amount of the country's convenience stores — a figure that has doubled in just over six years, according to Statistics Korea in June 2024.
Signs of market saturation are already surfacing. According to the Seoul Commercial District Analysis Service, the closure rate of coffee and beverage stores in Seoul was 2.8 percent in 2022, 4.2 percent in 2023 and 4.3 percent in 2024.
Amid this backdrop, leaning into the cagong trend is a way to stay afloat and run a sustainable business, says Viva Bossa’s Kang.

“Many people feel like they can focus better outside than at home, and they prefer a cafe with food and beverages and a certain level of service over a library where the atmosphere tends to be quiet and rigid.”
In addition, more customers these days come by themselves than in groups. “They want to spend quiet alone time and that’s who we ultimately cater to,” Kang said.
He added that he was pleasantly surprised to see not only people in their 20s and 30s but also retirees or the elderly coming to Viva Bossa. “It feels like cagong is still evolving and isn’t exclusive to young people.”
Similar cagong-friendly establishments have risen as a new genre of cafes in Korea.
An IT company worker surnamed Lee runs an Instagram account under the handle Nomad Workspace, where she posts information and images about cafes like Viva Bossa that prioritize comfort and are conducive to productivity.
![Instagram posts by Nomad Worker introducing cagong-friendly cafes across Korea [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/23/f6db4c2b-4cc6-450c-b61e-c96fbcff987f.jpg)
Instagram posts by Nomad Worker introducing cagong-friendly cafes across Korea [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Within less than a year, she has garnered over 18,300 followers. “It was surprising, even for me, to see the incredible demand for cagong cafes.
“Before establishing the account, I thought that cagong users were only viewed negatively, but since a handful of cafes that welcome cagong users began garnering popularity through word-of-mouth and started doing well, there is a new niche of cafes that operate for those cagong users.
“In some ways, I think the local cafe scene is becoming highly polarized in terms of embracing cagong. Some cafes fully embrace it, while others remain firmly against it.”
The anti-cagong stance
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The Korea Food Industry Research Institute reports that a non-franchise cafe with eight tables must turn over each table in 1 hour and 42 minutes to break even on a 4,100-won cup of coffee.
Customers who spend too long occupying cafes that have explicit anti-cagong policies can face legal consequences.
In a 2009 ruling, Korea’s Supreme Court stated that “prolonged sitting is an act that significantly hinders the business of a cafe and is considered business interference, which is punishable.”
Professor Lee said that cagong customers could hinder business in the short run, but there is value in looking further into the future.
“It is a trend that is here to stay. A strong customer base looking for a cafe to visit four or five times a week can help run a sustainable business. Cafes are no longer a place where people just come to drink coffee or tea.”
BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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